The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-10-29
THE TURTLE At HOME.


now tho I,nhamn Negroes Harvest ths
Crof--Cnpturc OF Prize.
The green turtle Of the metropolitan
restaurant, when 1t does not como from
tho remnants Of the roast veal and flied
chicken of the day before, comes chiefly
from the Bahamas and from Nassau, the
ony city of the Bahamas. They are
harvested also in Cuba, Hayti and Mt
many points OH the southern coast, but
In the Bahama Islands they seem to find
the richest feeding grounds. Circuit
Justice L. d. Powles, Of Bahama Island,
whose experience has been ample. telling
how the nn liable and luscious beast Is
captured in his neighborhool. says:
These families who live In the out
Islands and do all the turtle fishing that
u not done by the strictly business
schooncrs and men from Nassau, have
Tor q home house whose walls are built
Of coral limestone. roughly plastcred to.
gctler and rooted with palmetto thntch.
There are probably twelve or fourteen In
tho family, and they all live in one little
room, pretty nearly bare of furniture.
Nobody but papa and mamma rise 10 the
q. nifty Of bed. The rest can sleep any.
wh.rc. When not asleep, nearly all
Their lives are spent out of doors. Behind
tho house II some big tree, where mother
COOKS and washes and father wliacks her
and the children by turns, unless. as &C.
casonally happens, she is boss, and docs
the wliac.iing herself. They have not
much need of money, for they can grow
ORANGES, bananas and other tropical uits
in plenty. with corn and sweet potatoes,
and ti,l, is to be had for the catching.
Cut the out-islandcr stands sometimes in
nee of clothes and groceries, which have
to be paid for. AS turtles will either
rrolucc cash or its substitute, he coca
t!onally goes OF on turtling expedition
After days of postioning and putting Off.
l,e finally pulls himself together, and of
lio goes, pressing all his family into the
service. There is not much need to close
up tho house, for there are no robbers
cn no probable intruder except the hogs.
which don't count. Still he probably
shuts it up, for de look Of dc ting, for
the darky is very punctillious about GER
tain matters.
THE turtle beach may be many miles
sway, but most likely lie has boat. in
which he manages to reach it in the
course Of few hours. All the party
have bare feet. but otherwise are dressed
much the same as civilized people. Ex-
tcrnal tlecency ia one of those matters ON
which the Bahanlian negro is most scru-
pulous.
ARRIVED ut the turtle beach, he puts
one Of the boys in the boat and lets him
row along it, while the rest of the party
walk. keeping a sharp lookout for turtles.
Sometimes the beach is ten pliles long,
md perhaps the party draw the whole OF
t blank. in which case they beach the
boat and camp out for the night. Per-
llaps they have the luck to see a monster
;rcen turtle before they have measured
lalf the distance. If the party is in luck
Ind sights monster female turtle Of 500
ounds. LAYING her eggs in the hot sand
, little ahead, the party divides at once
,nd the chattering ceases silence Is |
necessary element Of success. One |
ialf Of the party make for the water
, c.t OF her retreat; the other half steal
.oiselessly up and turn her on her back
"A tough job in the case Of turtle as
:. rs 500 pounds. Once on her back she
helpless, and some of the other party
. oil in search Of palmetto leaves or
ugh grass with which to tie her fins.
hide the otlern stand round and talk to
ar, jeering and making game of her for
I'm condition, taking care, however, to
i've her mouth wide berth, for she is
i'll able to bite with considerable effect.
,vnen the others return they cut Sits in
Ter i1ns and tie them back tightly to-
either. Thus secured, she is carried on
joard the boat and given in charge of the
10Y, while the land contingent start OH
their rocd rejoicing. in search of another
victim. Before going on, though, they
will lunch Oh the eggs their prisoner has
left behind her. These eggs are deli
cacy much priced in Nassau, but .proba-
bly, by the time they get there they will
have gone bad, and it is only on rare oc-
casions, when turtles are caught in New
Providence or its immediate neighbor-
hood. that they are found in the market.
''The eggs disposed Of. the party moves
on once more. and perhaps, just at the
close of the day, catches hawksbill,
rood deal smaller in size, but quite as
valuable, for this time tho value is in the
she'll, not in the weight This is gonl
days work; the family row home con- |
tented, and place their turtles in cool
place to await the chance of q ship t. !
carry them up to Nassau"
Another way of catching turtles Is tn
peGging Of them in shoal water-that Is.
C.ri.;ing them with a grain or tw,
prnged spear. This way is adopted b,
vessels engaged in the turtle fisheries, BIZ
i. can only he used in the case Of Cree
turtles, us it damages the shell.
EeSi,.cs the green turtles and hawl
Ills, there is another species called III
llblevhcad, which is of no practical u,o
ct I'll. The flesh of both the latter sDc-
cics is considered valusless, but IL
natives manage to mako substantial!
mc.ls out Of them til tho same.
Most cf the turtles taken are females,
for it il the females only that como ashore
ior the purpose of laying their eggs. the
,.,ales remaining usually in much deeper
water. Tic female is easily distinguished
from the male by her tail. which il GO
short as TO he aE:c'"tely nominal, while
h.i ucually averages six or eight inches il
length. York Sun.